The odds that a woman in Sub-Saharan Africa will die from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth is one in 20, compared to one in 6,250 in the developed world, resulting both from high fertility and maternal mortality rates. The majority of the countries in this region have experienced armed conflict since the end of the Cold War, and this poor health performance may in part be due to the detrimental effects of armed conflicts. The research project Armed Conflict and Maternal Health in Sub-Saharan Africa led by Gudrun Østby, is one of five Young Research Talent projects which have received funds from the Research Council of Norway under the funding scheme for Independent Basic Research Projects (FRIPRO).
The primary objective of the project is to improve our understanding of how conflict affects maternal health and how to improve maternal health in post-conflict societies, which is crucial for formulating humanitarian policies to improve women's health after conflict.
We will study how civil war affects various health indicators as well as investigate what factors impact maternal health in post conflict societies. We combine statistical analysis of secondary data, such as national surveys, with qualitative analysis through fieldwork in Burundi, the DR Congo, and Liberia. While many studies focus exclusively on the direct effects of specific interventions to improve maternal health such as e.g. family planning services and the provision of obstetrical care, we broaden the scope and also consider the more distant impact of political, socioeconomic, and cultural factors. Furthermore, this project is the first systematic attempt to study determinants of maternal health in post-conflict societies at the local (subnational) level.
In addition to Gudrun Østby, the project team includes PRIO researchers Henrik Urdal, Andreas Forø Tollefsen, Chi Primus Che and Ragnhild Belbo, as well as Theodora-Ismene Gizelis from Essex University, Philip Verwimp from the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management, and Andreas Kotsadam from the Frisch Centre.
This project is placed under the umbrella of the Norwegian Centre for Humanitarian Studies (NCHS).
PRIO Director Henrik Urdal and Senior Researchers Gudrun Østby and Siri Aas Rustad took part in a workshop on maternal and child health in conflict situations at the Wilson Center 28 August. The event, titled 'Where's the Link? Maternal and Child Health, Aid, and Armed Conflict', was cohosted by PRIO and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C.
The third 2016 issue of the PRIO Gender, Peace and Security Update is now out.
The lead story in this issue looks at approaches to integrating gender into foreign policy, with examples from Australia and Sweden. The story is based on talks by Professor Jacqui True (Monash University) and Professor Karin Aggestam (Lund University) at the recent PRIO seminar 'Gender in Foreign Policy', held on 23 September 2016.
The NCHS Annual Report for 2014 is now available! You can read the report online or download it here.
The report gives an overview of the projects, events, blogs and publications of the Centre for 2014. Further information about NCHS researchers and affiliates is available here.
The 'Armed Conflict and Maternal Health' project held its kick-off meeting at PRIO on November 20-21.
On Thursday 20th the project team convened together with Norway-based members of the International Advisory Board for a full-day internal project meeting.
The odds that a woman in Sub-Saharan Africa will die from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth is one in 20, compared to one in 6,250 in the developed world, resulting both from high fertility and maternal mortality rates. The majority of the countries in this region have experienced armed conflict since the end of the Cold War, and this poor health performance may in part be due to the detrimental effects of armed conflicts. A new project entitled Armed Conflict and Maternal Health in Sub-Saharan Africa led by Gudrun Østby, is one of five Young Research Talent projects which have received funds from the Research Council of Norway under the funding scheme for Independent Basic Research Projects (FRIPRO).
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